


Next Time

by inanis_mortem



Series: BokuAka Week 2017 [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blood, M/M, Mentions of Death, Minor Character Death, Slight Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 12:04:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10411749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inanis_mortem/pseuds/inanis_mortem
Summary: BokuAka Week Day Two:Prompt: New LifeAs the words, "Next time," fall from red painted lips, Bokuto lets out a sob.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not 100% if this counts as 'new life'.
> 
> It ran away from me a bit.

**_Birth._ **

**_Life._ **

**_Death._ **

**_Repeat._ **

Bokuto has never been a fan of this cycle mortals face.

* * *

**_Don't fall in love with mortals._ **

A rule Bokuto has never really cared for.

* * *

**_A soul is destined to suffer once the mortal and a god fall in love._ **

A rule that Bokuto knows is painfully true thanks to things he's seen.

* * *

For a god to get involved in a war is not against any rules, it's just rare.

Bokuto usually pays rapt attention to these scuffles, why humans would sacrifice millions over small squabbles is beyond him, but he never involves himself directly.

Until Kuroo decides to join, out of interest and boredom.

Bokuto doesn't particularly like fighting, he's been told he's actually quite good at it, but the blood, violence, and death that war brings isn't something that appeals to him.

He follows Kuroo, partly because he wants to watch Kuroo's back even if gods can't die, partly because he wants to see why humans fight and how.

He's just planned to mostly observe.

Nothing else.

* * *

**_Things never go according to plan._ **

A rule Bokuto should start to accept.

* * *

Bokuto can count the amount of times a mortal has caught his attention on his finger and toes.

He can count the amount of times they've kept it on one hand.

He needs to add the last finger to his first hand.

* * *

_The human's name is Akaashi Keji._

_He's in Bokuto's unit, a mess of slightly curled black hair, steel blue eyes._

_He's fierce, cunning, not a mindless follower of orders._

_Perhaps that's why he still lives._

_He's also not one to bite his tongue, he speaks his mind without hesitation._

_He berates Bokuto for charging into an attack that could've killed a normal human despite the fact that Bokuto is a higher rank than he is._

_Bokuto's intrigued._

* * *

When he tells Kuroo, Kuroo laughs at him before sobering up.

"You shouldn't." Kuroo's eyes are fixed elsewhere and Bokuto follows his gaze to land on another male, dark hair with light, gold colour eyes that remind Bokuto of a cat. He wears a medic uniform.

"I know." Bokuto looks away, his eyes drifting over the scarlet ground, smoke stained sky. "I don't plan to."

Kuroo's laugh is more somber this time, picking up his sword when the medic calls his name with a hint of annoyance.

"Just be careful, Bo."

* * *

**_ Things never go according to plan. _ **

The rule that Bokuto tries to forget.

* * *

_Bokuto attempts to keep his distance, to not let his curiosity get the best of him but he can't help himself._

_He finds himself talking to Akaashi whenever he can, doing sentry duty together, sitting next to him when they eat, listening to Akaashi reveal little snippets of his life._

_When he fights along Akaashi, it feels **exhilarating.**  _

_Yanking Akaashi out of potential death situations, running alongside him as they charge into battle, fighting back to back in the hell they call war, Bokuto keeps telling himself, **you're not in love, you're not in love.**_

_He's not, or at least he thinks he's not until one night, he's talking with Akaashi while they sit next to a campfire and when he stumbles over his words excitedly, Akaashi smiles softly, not his usual smirk or mocking half grin and then Bokuto realizes, he **is**._

* * *

"I'm not even sure if he loves me," Bokuto babbles as he panics. "I mean, we only met half a year ago, love doesn't happen that fast."

_It doesn't_.

Does it?

Kuroo shoots him a sideways glance, unreadable as he polishes his sword.

"Love's mysterious," he finally says cryptically. "What's his name?"

Bokuto sighs heavily. 

"Akaashi Keiji."

"Oh." Something in Kuroo's voice makes Bokuto stop in his tracks.

"What is it?" Kuroo shakes his head, glancing around, sheathing his sword, troubled smile playing over his lips.

"Nothing." 

Bokuto wants to argue, maybe even pry it out of Kuroo but an explosion signals that they're being attacked and he has to leave.

* * *

**_Everyone makes mistakes, even gods._ **

Bokuto despises that rule.

* * *

_One moment of not paying attention is all it takes._

_One moment, Bokuto's practically flying through the battle, the next, his foot catching on a corpse._

_He stumbles and while he's reorienting himself, a sword glints in the corner of his peripheral vision._

_He's prepared to take the blow, it might even hurt a bit but he doesn't anticipate the ring of metal when Akaashi skillfully blocks the attack with his own sword._

_After dispatching the attacker, he turns and stares at Bokuto sternly._

_"You should be more careful."_

_"Akaaaaashi!" Bokuto exclaims. "I would have been fine!"_

_Akaashi raises an eyebrow._

_"Of course." His voice isn't mocking, it's slightly fond and Bokuto grins widely at him, looking away for a moment._

_" **HEY!** " Bokuto's head snaps up when Kuroo's voice echoes through the air, panicked._

_A soft whoosh_ _and the harsh_ _thunk!_ _of an arrow sinking to flesh reaches Bokuto's ears._

_He stares at Akaashi who looks back, eyes glazing over in pain, the arrow piercing his chest._

_Akaashi collapses, Bokuto barely managing to catch him, lowering him onto the ground gently._

_Bokuto can't pull the arrow out, he can't, it'll just make things worse and he can only watch as Akaashi's breathes become slower._

_Kuroo's leaping over the fallen bodies, the medic right behind him but Akaashi's eyes are fluttering shut, trying to draw in breath, his chest rising and falling weakly._

* * *

**_A god can't use their powers to directly interfere with a mortal's fate._ **

That rule has never particularly affected Bokuto until _now._

* * *

_"Akaashi," Bokuto huffs out, grasping the hand that Akaashi slips into his. "A medic's coming."_

_Akaashi shakes his head slowly, steel blue eyes dull._

_He wheezes softly, scarlet splattering over his armour._

_" **Keiji.** "_

_"Next time?" Akaashi murmurs, his voice barely audible. Bokuto can't bring himself to answer, throat stuck until Akaashi offers him an apologetic smile, eyes sliding shut._

_Just as Kuroo reaches them, Bokuto manages to force out a, "Yeah," just as Akaashi's breathing stops. "Next time," Bokuto whispers mournfully._

* * *

"Are you Bokuto?" A small voice rips Bokuto out of his trance, golden, cat like eyes staring at him.

"Yeah."

"Akaashi often talked about you."

"Oh." Bokuto curls up again, a painful twinge in his heart.

"I'm Kenma. Kenma Kozume."

_Oh._

"Kuroo's hu-friend." Kenma tilts his head, eyes swirling with grief.

"I'm not sure if Akaashi ever told you," he says quietly, the cold making puffs of air visible as he spoke. "But he cared for you. Deeply."

Bokuto doesn't reply and Kenma looks over his shoulder at the cross that marks Akaashi's grave.

"I just think Akaashi would have wanted you to know that."

Bokuto stays silent and Kenma takes it as his cue to leave.

* * *

_Three months later, Kenma's killed in the crossfire and Kuroo exits the war._

_Bokuto stays behind._

* * *

**_There's really no set rule for a soul's reincarnation, it's sporadic at best._ **

* * *

_Bokuto meets Akaashi's reincarnation three more times._

_After the third one dies another early, unfortunate death, he vows to leave Akaashi alone so perhaps, Akaashi will live a full life next time._

_Bokuto becomes a teenage boy and enrols into a high school, taking his mind off it by trying out a new sport._

* * *

"I'm Akaashi Keiji." 

Fate is being cruel.

Bokuto shakes Akaashi's hand, grinning widely, offering his signature, "Hey, hey, hey!" while biting back an, _I know_.

"What position?" Konoha asks and as Akaashi answers him, Bokuto steals a quick look at Akaashi.

Nothing's changed about him.

Akaashi makes it onto the team and becomes a setter, his setter.

As time passes, Bokuto allows himself to be lulled into a false sense of security because this time, there's no war or conflicts that could possibly endanger Akaashi.

* * *

_"You're forgetting."_

_Kuroo's gaze is burning holes into him and Bokuto can hop onto one foot then the other nervously._

_"Tetsu," he sighs. "It's peacetime."_

_Kuroo lets out a pained laugh, his posture sagging in defeat._

_"It was peacetime for Kenma as well last time. It didn't end well." Bokuto remembers._

_Accidental drowning even though by accounts, Kenma had been a strong swimmer back then._

_"You're still with him," Bokuto points out and Kuroo narrows his eyes._

_"That's different. I know what will happen. I'm prepared for it. Are you?" The question hits Bokuto harder than he expects and he thinks, mind whirling._

_'No' is on the tip of Bokuto's tongue but he swallows it._

_"Careful, Bo." He's heard that warning thousands of times._

_"I know."_

_He knows but what difference does it make?_

* * *

Akaashi introduces Bokuto to his younger cousin who joyfully greets Bokuto and chattering excitedly.

Bokuto's enamoured. 

Just as their walking down the street, the volleyball Akaashi's younger cousin is playing with tumbles out of their hands, rolling into the path of an incoming car. 

Before Akaashi and Bokuto can yell at them to come back, Akaashi's cousin is darting across the road after it, Akaashi close behind.

A screech of tires.

A cry of pain.

The slow bounce of a volleyball.

The horrified wailing.

Bokuto sinks to his knees next to Akaashi, squeezes his eyes shut urging himself to not cry.

The life drains out of Akaashi once more.

As the words, " _Next time,_ " fall from red painted lips, Bokuto lets out a sob.

Steel blue eyes gaze sightlessly up at the sky.

* * *

_Bokuto hasn't ever added a finger to his second hand._


End file.
